Spring Break Staycation

So, we didn't go to Disneyland with the rest of Utah for Spring Break - we stayed here, in the FREEZING, SNOWING, COLD weather - but we had fun!  Cindy and Scott came to visit and Spence took a few days off and we had a blast!  We decided to do one fun thing per day to make it relaxing, but not too boring.  The morning they flew in, they took the kiddos on a walk and then we went Ice Skating at the rec. center after lunch.  Grady is finally at the point where he can skate by himself with the help of weekly ice skating lessons, and we could all go.  Not sure it was Scott's favorite activity :), but we all had fun.  Grady and Adri both had their first soccer practice that night, so we hung out at the soccer fields and playground for awhile too.   The next day, we went to the Living Planet Aquarium, which is really neat.  We had never been, but had heard it was fun.  It really is a great set up and fun for the whole family.  It's not too big, but it has a lot of great exhibits.  That night, just the adults went for sushi - ahhh yum!!  The next day, we went bowling and Spence kicked our trash!  Cindy and Scott babysat for us that night so we could stay out extra late - woo hoo!!  They fed the kiddos dinner and had some friends come to hang out as well, then they actually had a sleepover with them in the playroom - aunts and future uncles are WAY cooler than mom and dad:)
On the last day, after a bird watching morning with Cindy and Scott (of course), Spence and Scott took the kids to the pet store while Cind and I had some "girl" time!!  We went shopping, got a Steamer at Starbucks and just LOVED being together.  I absolutely LOVE being with Cind!  She is SO much fun and we just have a great time together.
That night, my parents were able to come down along with my Grandma P. and we celebrated Grady's Birthday early.  He wanted Root Beer Floats (such a good easy-going boy) and we watched Tangled after that!  We had such a great time - snow, rain, and eveything!  Thanks for comin' Scott and Cind!!  Picture gallery below.....

Dinner??

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter
This is what we had tonight and it was SO good!  Easy too, which is a MUST for me!  My kiddos gobbled it up and THAT is truly amazing when I make something "new"!!
You can find the recipe HERE !

Come and RUN!!!

So I am running in my first race as an adult really soon and this little cutie below is the reason.  I can't think of a better way to get my bootie kicked either:)  Please visit and read THIS blog - it is SO amazing what this little guy can do from what he was "expected" to do.  He has come so far but there is so much more help he needs.  I copied the story for you to read below and you can click on the info. and get to the blog from here as well.  This is for a great cause (and friend) and anyone who loves to run and lives in Davis County should come join me - we would have a blast!!!

The Reason

In case you are wondering why I am so
passionate, whyI am so persistent, 

and why am I committing more time 
and money than I have to give?

This is why.

  “Profoundly Retarded”

     Those were the words that would resonate after
 the cold and blizzard-like
 February morning my life forever changed. No
 words of comfort were given; 
no meaningful gestures or signs of hope, just
 cold-hearted terms and grim 
medical statistics.

My husband and I were strongly encouraged to
 terminate the life of our baby 
boy – our boy. We were told his life was going to 
end regardless and would
 have no quality even if he made it to term. 
In fact, we were lead to believe 
his life would be a disservice to humanity
 and to our families’ lives.

     You don’t prepare for something like this.
You can’t. I did not sign up on a
roster sheet and volunteer to have my heart
 torn to shreds. Albeit, life happens,
 and we get to make choices; choices that
 ultimately determine our consequences,
and choices that allow us to learn, grow and
experience worlds we were not aware
existed.

Blair and I made a choice in that moment;
 a decision of our hearts. We knew without
 a doubt that this boy was ours, and we prayed
 that we would be able to hold his body
 and kiss his cheeks. We didn’t care about
 his nose, or cute little funky toes…we just
 wanted to be given the opportunity to love
 him.

     During the months that followed, test
results were given and we discovered Deakon
 had an extremely rare Chromosomal
 abnormality, simply titled Ring 18.
Basically,the second chromosome in his
18th pair had broken at the ends and formed
 itself in the shape of a circle. Needless to
say, hours upon hours were spent on the Internet;
reaching for any beacon of hope I could find.
 During my search, I stumbled across the
website www.chromosome18.org, and read
the following mission statement:

Our mission is to help individuals with
 chromosome 18 abnormalities
 overcome the obstacles they face so they
 might lead happy, healthy and 
 productive lives.

     I don’t remember exactly, but I am nearly
 positive I cried. What a difference this
 statement was in comparison to the words the
 specialists were choosing to use. 
Through this website and its’ resources, I
 was able to connect with families who had 
children with Ring 18  and other chromosome
 18 abnormalities. Pieces of my heart 
began returning, and hope was beginning
 to be restored.

     Deakon is now nearly five…FIVE years
 old. He is beautiful and happy and sweet 
natured. He freely gives kisses and 
whispers, “Mama, I la ya (I love you.)” 
In fact, rare a morning goes by without me
 hearing it. Deak loves music, especially the Black Eyed 
Peas, and lives for his favorite TV show,
 Yo Gabba Gabba. He crawls around, creates 
mischief for his amazing big sister, Abby,
 and walks like he has something to prove in
 his awesome green walker.  In fact, his 
physical therapist says it is only a matter of 
months before he is walking on his own.

     

     Deakon’s life is anything but a disservice
to our family, and Deak is anything but
retarded.  He is an example of who I wish
I could become.

     Although Blair and I had made a
 choice, I am forever indebted to the Chromosome
18 Registry and Research Society for the
 restoration of Hope that was given to my broken
 heart. I am so grateful for the positive
 attitudes and assertive drive that began medical
and genetic research twenty years ago.
 Medical research in an area that is considered
 non-commercial and unprofitable; Research
 through which my son was advised to
 begin medical growth hormone treatment
 that has drastically improved his life.
The connections I have made with
 families, through the aid of the registry have been
 life and sanity saving. They are
 family…sealed with a Chromosome 18 gift.

     That is why I am choosing to raise
 funds for this charity, and for my son.  
Without the families of the affected
 children fundraising, we would have nothing.

         

     We are so excited to spread awareness
 and earn funds for a cause that is clearly
 so dear to our hearts, and appreciate 
the opportunity the city is giving us to do so.

With Love,

Jenny Howe and Family

Click HERE to get to the race info.

A Basketball Star??

Well, maybe not quite a star, but we were pretty darn proud of Kendalyn in Jr. Jazz this year.  First off, I couldn't even believe it when she said she wanted to do it - I mean, she does tend to take after me and I am not sporty AT ALL.  But, I guess they shoot a little at recess, so she thought it would be fun.  I think her sweet little team has only now won 2 games, but they try really hard.  Now, Spence kind of gets driven a little crazy at her games because she not very aggressive - another me trait, but I think it's an okay one:)  She tends to watch a bit, but at least she's running and in the game versus her little stint in soccer (not our proudest parent moments:)!  But then, last week, when we even had Grandma and Grandpa in attendance, she makes a shot!!  We couldn't believe it because she rarely gets to even touch the ball in her games!  We were jumping and clapping and SO PROUD!!!  They are 10 ft. baskets and her team, all but one, is about the shortest in their age group, so it is quite a feat to get it up there, but she DID IT!!  I know this is a total gloat post, but seriously, this mom who doesn't play an ounce of basketball is just in awe!!!  Way to go Kendalyn!!

A PERRRRRFECT Pillow!!

Yep, I've found it, again!!  Remember a few years ago (for anyone still reading this blog) my pillow dilemma??  It was SO hard to find that pillow, but I did - and then I tried to buy one a few months later for Spence and RC Willey no longer carried it - totally bummed!  I haven't really looked into getting another pillow until recently, when I started to think the pillow wasn't working quite as good as it once was - it's still WAY better than anything I've every slept on, but I could just tell it was getting older.  Anyhoo, thanks to a random blogger and good old Amazon and their great reviews, I have now found another PERFECT Pillow!!  Spence is reaping the benefits of my old pillow and he is loving it too (shh, don't tell him my new one is better)!!  I have had it for about 4 days now and I LOVE it!!  It is a latex pillow and you really can't beat them.  They don't get hot (like regular pillows) and they hold their shape so well!  I have slept SO good the last few nights so I thought I would share.  And, I do remember reading someone's blog pretty recently and they were looking for a pillow, so to whoever that was, I hope this helps!!

I ended up getting the Queen, Higt Loft Plush.
You can find it HERE !

Disneyland - WE LOVE YOU!!!

Of course, we can NEVER get a good "entrance" picture - the sun in the eyes is just too much to handle:)

We were THRILLED to go back to Disneyland this year - you know, I think it should be a yearly thing and while Spence loves it too, he's just not sure about once a year - but we went anyway!!  Last year's experience, while amazing and fun, was FREEZING, so I was hoping like crazy that it would be warm and it was - yay!!  We had the most amazing weather.  The kids and Spence were in shorts all week with only a jacket at night.  In fact, the day we got to L.A., it was like 83 degrees - so great!  We even went swimming in the pool and didn't freeze - well, we means Spence and the kids, but I watched:)

We got to spend 4 days at the park this year and we really lived it up every day.  We saw SO many characters because it wasn't too busy and we got quite a few pictures with them.  The girls still liked meeting them, but it definitely was not a priority to meet them like it has been in the past - they are just TOO grownup!!  The favorite ride this year for the girls was California Screamin'.  Not sure how many times exactly they went, but it was at least 3 or 4 a day - they couldn't get enough.  Adri was tall enough for every ride this year and she loved it.  Grady, on the other hand, was just barely below the line - we're talking BARELY - but of course every worker had a different opinion of whether or not he could go on the ride.  Sometimes he made it in, only to wait for 10 minutes and get told he was too short.  Other times he made it all the way - and he was SO thrilled when this happened.  He would walk around yelling, "I'm taller now" to anyone who would listen, it was pretty cute.  Spence finally got the brilliant idea on the 3rd day to make Grady taller - oh, you didn't know you could do this??  Well, all you need is 4 Disneyland maps and a kid who doesn't complain about the "tight" shoes and you're solid:)

 It really worked!!  He got to go on all of the rides and absolutely LOVED it!  He even went on Tower of Terror and loved it - the girls were much too wimpy for that this year - Kendalyn only did it once and Adri wasn't even going to go there.

We had a GREAT time - the only bad part was the drive - oh, did I mention we drove?  No? YUCK!!  I don't ever want to do it again, but I'll probably forget by next year and we'll pile in again to make our way to my favorite place on earth...

Oh, there are a TON of pics - sorry!!

Fun, new picture spot in California Adventures

I know, we couldn't stop laughing at what a goofball he is!!

She got the WHEEL seat on Indiana Jones

All tuckered out after a long day..

Ice cream break - um..that shine on my forehead is definitely cute...

The end of a great last day!!

Bongos Birthday!!!

So, for some reason, it may have something to do with Uncle Brent, but we have always called Adri Bongos!!  It may seem weird, but this little missy was mighty crazy when she was younger - really, she still is a bit of a ham most of the time - hence the name.  We love this little cutie of a girl and are so happy to have her in our family.  She has such a funny personality and LOVES to laugh!  It was quite the Barbie Mania at our house on her birthday - she's quite into the Barbie thing for the moment.  She decided (at the VERY last minute) to have a party with her friends, but it was kind of thrown together, with Christmas having just got over and just having moved in as well, but she loved it!  They made those little Perle Beads (those melting beads that you iron) and played a few games.  She chose donuts for her "cake" - smart little whip:)  She also decided to do Sushi for her B-day dinner with Spence and I.  Also a smart little whip:)  Swimming was next on the list and they had fun swimming with dad (I said someone had to be dry to take a picture:).  We had a great time - Happy Birthday SWEETIE!!!

Sentimental Adri

I had to write this down, because it was just too cute to forget about.  Last night, we were watching Ramona and Beezus (very cute show if you haven't yet seen it) and at one point, Ramona is running away and all of the sudden Adri says "oh no, here they come, here come the tears".  So I look over at her and sure enough, her eyes were completely welled up with tears.  I asked her if she was sad about the show and she said that she felt bad for Ramona because she was mad at her mom - SO DARLING!!  At the end she did the same thing - she said it was just a sad show but that she liked it.  I guess she takes after her dad more than her mom after all:)